Table 26. Black or African American, full-time U.S. citizen and permanent resident graduate students in science, engineering, and health in all institutions and in historically black colleges and universities, by field and sex: 2012–15

Field

Male

Female

2012

2013

2014olda

2014newa

2015

2012

2013

2014olda

2014newa

2015

Black or African American students in all institutions (number)

7,835

7,881

7,692

7,636

7,628

14,010

13,426

12,878

12,255

13,052

Science and engineering

6,878

6,934

6,759

6,790

6,742

10,666

10,376

9,925

9,549

9,958

Science

5,447

5,497

5,409

5,417

5,428

10,007

9,741

9,249

8,859

9,258

Agricultural sciences

118

105

114

129

143

182

189

179

194

201

Biological sciences

919

933

940

997

1,072

1,935

1,892

1,835

1,972

2,141

Communication

148

148

158

174

181

354

328

390

423

444

Computer sciences

589

607

645

695

662

289

289

296

305

320

Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences

100

106

91

94

95

106

90

104

110

104

Family and consumer sciences and human sciences

54

62

52

53

45

227

209

253

255

239

Mathematics and statistics

263

265

259

264

243

150

156

150

157

152

Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies

76

75

89

104

103

129

113

144

186

149

Neurobiology and neuroscience

56

60

63

63

66

87

86

91

91

94

Physical sciences

396

426

395

396

400

376

352

341

343

323

Psychology

641

666

627

502

580

2,645

2,624

2,289

1,699

1,877

Social sciences

2,087

2,044

1,976

1,946

1,838

3,527

3,413

3,177

3,124

3,214

Engineering

1,431

1,437

1,350

1,373

1,314

659

635

676

690

700

Health

957

947

933

846

886

3,344

3,050

2,953

2,706

3,094

Black or African American students in HBCUs (number)

1,047

1,002

996

1,163

1,166

2,041

1,890

1,830

2,030

2,196

Science and engineering

953

904

883

1,034

1,025

1,661

1,533

1,429

1,601

1,656

Science

777

721

745

886

863

1,560

1,446

1,336

1,495

1,538

Agricultural sciences

48

33

38

52

47

73

59

56

69

69

Biological sciences

122

119

136

154

172

355

329

310

361

392

Communication

24

13

9

21

25

47

32

26

42

59

Computer sciences

64

60

69

117

107

37

39

45

65

49

Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences

17

17

15

17

11

22

13

25

29

29

Family and consumer sciences and human sciences

6

12

7

7

10

39

37

63

63

53

Mathematics and statistics

35

45

33

36

33

27

28

28

30

21

Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies

12

7

18

27

19

7

11

34

42

26

Neurobiology and neuroscience

3

3

3

3

4

9

8

4

4

3

Physical sciences

62

71

71

71

61

87

83

70

70

64

Psychology

52

40

39

39

81

187

186

134

142

270

Social sciences

332

301

307

342

293

670

621

541

578

503

Engineering

176

183

138

148

162

101

87

93

106

118

Health

94

98

113

129

141

380

357

401

429

540

Black or African American students in HBCUs (%)

13.4

12.7

12.9

15.2

15.3

14.6

14.1

14.2

16.6

16.8

Science and engineering

13.9

13.0

13.1

15.2

15.2

15.6

14.8

14.4

16.8

16.6

Science

14.3

13.1

13.8

16.4

15.9

15.6

14.8

14.4

16.9

16.6

Agricultural sciences

40.7

31.4

33.3

40.3

32.9

40.1

31.2

31.3

35.6

34.3

Biological sciences

13.3

12.8

14.5

15.4

16.0

18.3

17.4

16.9

18.3

18.3

Communication

16.2

8.8

5.7

12.1

13.8

13.3

9.8

6.7

9.9

13.3

Computer sciences

10.9

9.9

10.7

16.8

16.2

12.8

13.5

15.2

21.3

15.3

Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences

17.0

16.0

16.5

18.1

11.6

20.8

14.4

24.0

26.4

27.9

Family and consumer sciences and human sciences

11.1

19.4

13.5

13.2

22.2

17.2

17.7

24.9

24.7

22.2

Mathematics and statistics

13.3

17.0

12.7

13.6

13.6

18.0

17.9

18.7

19.1

13.8

Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies

15.8

9.3

20.2

26.0

18.4

5.4

9.7

23.6

22.6

17.4

Neurobiology and neuroscience

5.4

5.0

4.8

4.8

6.1

10.3

9.3

4.4

4.4

3.2

Physical sciences

15.7

16.7

18.0

17.9

15.3

23.1

23.6

20.5

20.4

19.8

Psychology

8.1

6.0

6.2

7.8

14.0

7.1

7.1

5.9

8.4

14.4

Social sciences

15.9

14.7

15.5

17.6

15.9

19.0

18.2

17.0

18.5

15.7

Engineering

12.3

12.7

10.2

10.8

12.3

15.3

13.7

13.8

15.4

16.9

Health

9.8

10.3

12.1

15.2

15.9

11.4

11.7

13.6

15.9

17.5

HBCU = historically black college or university.

a In 2014, the survey frame was updated following a comprehensive frame evaluation study. The study identified potentially eligible but not previously surveyed academic institutions in the United States with master's- or doctorate-granting programs in science, engineering, or health. A total of 151 newly eligible institutions were added, and two private for-profit institutions offering mostly practitioner-based graduate degrees were determined to be ineligible.

NOTE: Black or African American includes U.S. citizens and permanent residents who report a single race and are not of Hispanic origin.

SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.